In celebration of Cinco de Mayo next week, we're beginning a five-part series today which showcases some of the more unique Star Wars collectibles emerging from south of the border, a category of collecting that has challenged many-a-collector to hunt down these often charming yet obscure collectibles.
When it comes to international collecting, most collectors are attracted to those pieces which are unique to their country of origin and offer a glimpse into the culture that manufactured them. The set of three plastic banks from Mexican licensee Vinolos Romay, while appearing modest by design, are cherished by collectors for the folksy, handmade look of the plastic figurines. Collectors can easily imagine finding these among the street vendors in a bustling Mexican city in 1980.
Like many collectibles originating in Mexico, not very much is known about this trio of banks, other than the manufacturer's name stamped into the base along with a decal that reads "Ahorro Bancomer". What collectors do know about these particular banks is that they usually do not age well -- the paint is often heavily worn and the plastic becomes increasingly brittle.
Below, we've depicted the three banks as they appeared brand new back in 1980, courtesy of some photographs we uncovered in an old Lucas Licensing photo album (yes, they used to catalog their collection with snapshots stuck in albums like you find at grandma's!).
To see what these banks usually look like when found today, check out the listings over at the Star Wars Collector's Archive for some photos of recently found examples (especially R2-D2). Be sure to check back next week for our continuing series of cool Mexican Star Wars collectibles.
